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Saturday, April 17, 2010

Georgia Tech Spring Update: Nesbitt's Injury May Be A Blessing In Disguise

Paul Johnson casts a steely gaze on Jordan Luallen

When your starting quarterback misses time because of surgery, normally it is a bad thing. But that may not be the case in Atlanta where the Yellow Jackets have been operating in spring practice without last year's signal caller Josh Nesbitt;

Nesbitt (who will be going by Joshua this season) has missed the spring after undergoing off season ankle surgery due to an injury he suffered in the regular season. The missed time in practice will not have much of an effect as he is entering his third year as the starter.

But being in an option offense like Tech's, Nesbitt takes more hits than a quarterback in a drop back offense. That makes the need to develop a capable backup very high on the Yellow Jackets to do list before the season.

That need was put into over drive when last year's backup Jaybo Shaw announced his plans to transfer to Georgia Southern where he would be eligible next season.

All of sudden, Georgia Tech did not have a healthy QB who had taken a significant snap in college.

Redshirt Sophomore Tevin Washington came out of the gate as practice began working with the first team. Entering his third year in the system allowed Washington to have a much greater grasp of the offense and how to make the correct reads under center.

He is being pushed by two redshirt freshman who present different styles. David Sims is a bruising runner with great athleticism, but lacks accuracy in the passing. Jordan Luallen has shown a strong grasp of the system for only his second season in it and a capable arm, but he is not as effective running the ball as his counterparts.

Each of the three have had highlights this Spring with Washington taking the early lead with some slippery runs in the open field and his overall command of the offense. Sims attitude and hard work was commended by Johnson during the first week. And most recently Luallen has impressed the staff in the passing game.

The battle will likely continue into the fall when Nesbitt is back. But the reps they are getting now are invaluable to their development. If one of the three can emerge as a capable backup then Nesbitt's injury may actually be a blessing in disguise. Georgia Tech's Spring Game is set for this Saturday at 12:30.